Many countries will face lack of food

This will become a result of sanctions imposed against Belarus’ potash industry, believes Andrei Strunevsky, a member of the Standing Committee of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly on Industry, Fuel and Energy Complex, Transport and Communications

“We understand that the draconian fifth package of sanctions was adopted only in interests of the countries that imposed it. We also understand that American sanctions have no direct jurisdiction in the EU,” the deputy said.

Mr. Strunevsky commented on sanctions focusing on the potash industry, “Belarus’ potash fertilisers account for 20 percent of the world market. What will this entail? Naturally, any shortage in the potash fertiliser market will lead to growing prices. It will further result in the increase in food prices around the globe. Of course, the US, the UK, France, Germany will get away with it. In turn, developing and backward countries will face food shortages. It is, on the contrary, necessary to increase volumes of fertilisers on the world market.”

According to the deputy, Belarus has an opportunity to redirect its products through Russian ports – bypassing Lithuanian ones. “Lithuania gives no comments yet – saying that the US sanctions are advisory in nature, but still legally advising not to contact our country,” he said.

Mr. Strunevsky believes Belarus can take advantage of this situation and increase food exports to world markets from $6bn to $7bn, “Some countries that impose sanctions need to think of what and why they are doing this. We fulfil our obligations to our consumers in Brazil, India and China in full. Meanwhile, Lithuania, I would say, simply shoots itself in the head while losing multimillion contracts from our side.”